MADRID , Spain -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Passengers said they saw flames and then heard an explosion moments before a Spanair jet crashed on takeoff Wednesday at Madrid 's Barajas Airport , killing 153 people , according to local media .

The Spanair Flight JK5022 was carrying 172 people . There were 19 survivors , including two infants , Development Minister Magdalena Alvarez said .

The 19 were being treated at a hospital , Alvaraez said .

The severity of the injuries varies , but many of the injured have been treated for burns , Spanish Red Cross spokeswoman Olivia Acosa said . Watch as the wounded arrive at a hospital ''

The flight was bound for Las Palmas in the Canary Islands , two hours away .

Local officials said one of the engines caught fire . The aircraft , an MD-82 , has two jet engines , both at the rear .

The burning plane came to rest in a gully about 2:45 p.m. -LRB- 8:45 a.m. ET -RRB- .

The crash sent up a plume of smoke visible from several kilometers away . At the time of the crash , weather conditions were hot and clear . Watch smoke rising from airport ''

A survivor told Spain 's ABC newspaper that she and other passengers heard an explosion as the plane was taking off . iReport : Send us your pictures , video , information .

`` She said they could see the fire , ... and then it was not even a minute or so they heard -LSB- something -RSB- blow up , '' reporter Carlota Fomina told CNN . `` They were about 200 meters -LSB- 660 feet -RSB- in the air , and then they were landing but not crashing . They were landing , like , little by little ; it was not like they -LSB- fell -RSB- down suddenly . ''

The MD-82 was carrying 162 passengers , four non-working crew members and six working crew members , Spanair said . After contacting families , the airline published the names of those aboard on its Web site . Watch as relatives of survivors start arriving at the airport ''

Some of the survivors have serious injuries , while others have non-life-threatening injuries . Many of the injured were treated for burns , she said .

The aircraft was carrying seven passengers from Lufthansa Flight 2554 , according to the airline . Spanair , a low-cost airline that has a flight-sharing agreement with Lufthansa , is owned by SAS Scandinavian Airlines .

Barajas Airport closed after the crash but reopened more than two hours later , allowing a limited number of takeoffs and landings , an airport official said . See a map of the airport ''

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero arrived at the airport Wednesday evening after cutting short a vacation .

`` The government will do all it can to support the families in this difficult situation , '' he said . `` The whole government , logically , is affected , very affected , as are all Spanish citizens , by this tragedy . ''

The fatal crash was the first at the airport since December 1983 , when 93 people were killed as two Spanish airliners collided .

The airport , eight miles -LRB- 13 km -RRB- northeast of central Madrid , is Spain 's busiest , handling more than 40 million passengers a year .

The United States National Transportation Safety Board is sending an investigation team to Madrid because the aircraft is American-made , NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said .

Spanair has set up a local emergency number for family members and friends phoning from Spain : +34 800-400-200 .

CNN 's Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman , Brian Todd and Kathleen Koch contributed to this report

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NEW : Local officials say one of jet 's two engines caught fire

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NEW : Two infants among 19 survivors , Spanish official says

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NEW : Passenger list posted on Spanair Web site

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MD-82 crashed while taking off from Madrid 's main airport